Determined to regain the lost mojo, says Mohammad Amir

Having been dropped from the national side, Amir is extremely determined to make a comeback at the highest level.

Having performed exceedingly well in the ongoing domestic first-class season in Pakistan - 10 wickets at 14.8 in two games for Sui Southern Gas Company, right-arm pacer Mohammad Amir says he is extremely determined to find back that beautiful rhythm and the lost mojo.

Amir, who got dropped from Pakistan's squad for the 2-match Test series against Australia after poor form in the preceding Asia Cup, talked about the disappointment of being left out to Cricbuzz and said, "I was feeling that I was lacking confidence, As a professional sportsman, the first thing that you lose is confidence when you realise you are unable to perform. The skills remain the same even then. They are the same with which you had taken wickets earlier," before stressing, "But, when you are unable to perform for two, three, four games, you go down mentally and your confidence takes a hit which hampers your performance."

"It was both mental and physical [pressure] in my case. I was feeling that I needed rest as I was playing cricket regularly for the past three years. It is good for me that I am here [in domestic cricket]," he further emphasized, "I can now enhance my skills and rebuild my confidence... So far everything is going well. I have been playing four-day matches and have also played one-dayers," and affirmed, "I am feeling good and can feel my body [is] recovering. I gave my body rest after the Asia Cup. I am enjoying being here."

Amir, still only 26, also intimated about the discussions he had with head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling consultant Azhar Mahmood, skipper Sarfraz Ahmed as well as chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, regarding his workload and the need to properly rest & manage his body.

"I had a proper discussion with Inzi bhai [Inzamam-ul-Haq], Saifi bhai [Sarfraz Ahmed], and Mickey Arthur about my workload and we talked about every aspect of it," he said, "Playing three formats is not very easy for any fast bowler. Mitchell Starc just returned and got a niggle after playing just two matches. Nobody is Superman."

"Our discussions ended on a positive note as both Inzi and Mickey decided to manage my workload efficiently," he further informed, "There was no communication gap amongst us and there werevery honest discussion about this... There's so much cricket these days that it becomes very difficult for a fast bowler to recover and work on physical fitness,"

"Sometimes the mental and physical fatigue keeps a batsman or bowler from delivering [his best]," and added, "As a professional, you have to be careful about your body: when you think that you need a break, you should take a break," before signing off with, "It is not like my time has been wasted [by returning to domestic cricket]. I got the realization on the right time and now I know how I have to go about my business when I return to the national side."